Dehghan said scientists at Iranian Aircraft Manufacturing
Industries, affiliated to Iran's Defense Ministry, have designed and developed
the drone. He said the country has achieved self-sufficiency in building drones
but didn't elaborate.

Iran claims that it managed to reverse-engineer
the RQ-170 Sentinel, which it seized in December 2011 after it entered Iranian
airspace from its eastern border with Afghanistan, and that it's capable of
launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.

Iran has pursued a military self-sufficiency program since
1980s, and frequently announces technological breakthroughs including the
building of jet fighters, tanks, missile, submarines, torpedoes and drones.
Most cannot be independently confirmed, however, and a picture of the alleged
Fotros published by Iran's semi-official IRNA news agency on Monday looked
similar to another new drone the nation unveiled about a year earlier. It
wasn't immediately clear whether the Fotros was an entirely new model, or an
upgraded version of an earlier aircraft.

The earlier Shahed-129 (Witness-129) drone is reported to
have a similar range to the Fotros, but can only stay aloft 24 hours.

Dehghan said the new drone was a key strategic addition to
Iran's military capabilities, and was developed despite tough sanctions against
Iran over its suspect nuclear program.

"Sanctions by enemies can't create an obstacle in the
path of progress for our defense industries," IRNA quoted him as saying.

The sanctions were imposed on Iran for its refusal to halt
uranium enrichment, a program that can be used to produce nuclear fuel or
materials for a warhead.

The country says it is fighting an intelligence battle with
the U.S. and Israel, which accuse Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear
weapons capability. Iran denies the charges, saying its nuclear program is peaceful and geared toward generating electricity and
producing radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

Iran's move to unveil the Fotros on Monday came amid ongoing
negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the international community aimed
at ending a years-long standoff over the allegations of weapons development.
Negotiatiors from Iran, the U.S., and five other nations were to reconvene amid
hopes of a possible diplomatic breakthrough later this week.